


re:build

by orro



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-10-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 16:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orro/pseuds/orro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[spoilers for s2m2]<br/>When everything is gone you start again. And sometimes, something new starts to grow alongside. Janine/Simon</p>
            </blockquote>





	re:build

**Author's Note:**

> For the Zombies Write II. Galacticdrift prompted Janine/Simon; I hope you enjoy it!

New Canton wasn’t Abel, and Janine hated it. She hated its sturdy walls and excellent vantage points, their orderly rules and committees. Yes, she hated it all. 

Her home was destroyed and the township with it. Everything that they had worked so hard for had gone up in fire and smoke and there was nothing more than a pile of rubble. Her family’s home, the home her mother and father had tended to so carefully, it was no more.

The sooner she could return to Abel, the quicker she could begin to find out who was behind the attack; she had a bullet waiting for the bastard responsible.

~*~

Simon had taken a wrong left turn and had ended up halfway through a housing area before he’d realized he was lost. He figured if he just kept going towards one of the towers he’d find his way back before it got too dark. Worst case, he’d just knock on someone’s door and ask if he could spend the night. New Canton people were pretty friendly, and as long as he didn’t mention he was from Abel, they’d probably just think him a very confused newcomer. 

He was making his way through what was probably a recycling pick up spot when he recognized Janine sitting against a pile of stacked and rope tied plastic bottles. She wasn’t looking at anything. She wasn’t even doing anything. If he hadn’t just looked up he probably wouldn’t have noticed her.

“Are you lost too?” Simon hesitated before asking. She hadn’t moved even when he had made a beeline for her.

“Of course I’m not, Mr. Lauchlan.” But she didn’t look at him and she only spoke after sighing. She didn’t make any hint at getting up anytime soon either. If anything she seemed to meld into the piles more.

Simon held his arm out and beckoned to her, smiling gently. “Come on, Janine. It’s not safe to be out so late on your own. Allow me to be your guide back.” 

“I don’t- I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Janine said. There was a bit of snip in her voice and Simon beamed at it. 

“‘Course you are. But maybe I’m the scared one and I’m just trying to use you to pretend otherwise. Now you’re not really going to make me walk back through New Canton at night all on my own, are you?”

“I suppose not,” Janine muttered. She stood up and glared at him. “I’m not linking arms with you.” 

“Spoilsport.” He dropped his arm but still grinned as Janine fell into step beside him. “D’you know the way back?” 

Instead of rolling her eyes at him she just began walking. From her assured steps she did in fact know the way back, which was comforting, even if she didn’t answer back to any of his observations. Simon followed, uneasy at her complete silence; it was enough that he had stopped trying to make conversation.

“So, good night?” Simon hung for a moment at the edge of the encampment. Janine didn’t seem like she was about to follow him in. 

“Good night,” Janine said once she realized he was waiting for her to answer back. 

Although her voice came out evenly she had the same haunted look in her eyes as the rest of them. It didn’t seem like she was going to let herself grieve though. Simon watched her leave for a moment before heading inside; sometimes people needed longer than others. He could only hope that she wasn’t too stubborn to ask for the help she’d need. They all needed someone right now. 

~*~

Janine didn’t say anything as Simon plopped down beside her at breakfast the next morning. The dining hall was smaller than Abel’s, but there were more people inside, and it was infinitely noiser. For better or worse it was easy to spot the people from Abel. They were the quiet ones. 

Janine was in the middle of an intense staring competition with her bowl of oatmeal. Her thumb kept running over a chip in the tableware and it was the only visible sign that she hadn’t fallen asleep sitting up, she was otherwise so still. 

“I would kill for some sugar,” Simon said as he swung his legs over the seat so he could sit at the refurbished picnic table. He briefly wondered how the old thing could hold up dozens of trays and the many people who weren’t treating it gently before turning back to Janine. “My mum used to add in extra. Terrible for your teeth but you don’t care about that sort of thing as a kid.”

Janine didn’t say anything. Simon just kept eating, licking at the spoon once he was done. He carefully but casually like put his elbow on the splintery table to look over at her.

“You gonna eat that?” 

Janine slid her bowl over to him without a word. Simon grimaced instead of taking it.

“Come on, now, Janine. Don’t be like that. You gotta eat too.” 

“Our runners are heading out today for the first time. You’re going as well, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah but-”

“You’ll need all the nutrition you can get then.” 

She got up and left him there. Not half a minute passed before someone came and took her spot. Simon sighed and dragged the bowl over. He did in fact have a run today. It was his first once since he’d come to New Canton and Janine probably knew just as well as he did that they were going out looking for survivors. 

He dug into the oatmeal, waiting for the static to start up in his headset and Sam to tell him to start heading out. Everyone else seemed ready to leap on whatever bit of good cheer came their way. Janine seemed to want nothing to do with it. 

~*~

“Where did you get shaved ice?” Simon asked Jody the moment she arrived. He’d managed to round up Sam and Five, but they’d been the only ones he’d been able to find before Jody got back. Even now he was keeping them in eyesight to be sure that they didn’t just meld into the crowds of people going about their business. He’d gotten separated from Runner Twenty-Three like that the other day.

It’d been a struggle just to get them to come along. People were still understandably shell shocked. And while he shared their pain he was of the opinion that sitting in a hastily made tent was depressing. They had a whole city to explore, and even now, the promise of adventure was easing some of Five’s and Sam’s worries away.

“There’s a whole row of carts and stands just selling food,” Jody said, taking another bite. Her tongue was comically blue, and against the red of her face from the run she had just finished up, she looked like she had come right out of a cartoon. “It was by, um, well, if I’m there I’ll recognize it. There was a huge sign, like a banner; you’d know it in a heartbeat.”

“I’m not going exploring all willy nilly. I’ve got a run later on again.” 

“Don’t worry, Three. We’ve got a map.” Sam had a proud smile on his face. It’d been his idea once he’d come around to the notion of exploration. Though it was a work in progress and they’d already made a mess out of erasing some of the buildings. It showed the bathrooms and that was really the important bit. Five pointed out the direction of what was rumored to be a recreation center and they went off in search. 

“Maxine had a better one,” Jody said as she held out her cup for Simon to take a bite. “But she hasn’t come out of the med tent and we’re not to go bother her for ‘unnecessary things’.” 

“Not like you could get her out even if you tried. She’s practically glued there.” Sam shoved his hands into his pockets. “Besides, we’ve got the fun map. Or, well, the future fun map.”

“At least we know where she is. I can’t find anyone in this place,” Simon said, using his finger to steal another bit of ice. Jody smacked him playfully with her spoon. 

“It is pretty huge,” Jody said, looking around. It was a bit odd for all of them to be around so many people again. Abel’s population was a drop of water compared to the ocean that was New Canton. Simon mostly liked the reminder that civilisation could still exist. He didn’t much miss the pushing and shoving that came with crowds though. “The Major said as long as we can get to the outposts in a reasonable amount of time, and we keep the headsets turned on, we’re free to go about.”

Simon watched Five and Sam debate over whether they were facing North or West, his look catching onto Sam’s headset.

“Hey, Sam, why aren’t you heading missions right now?” 

“Janine kicked me out,” he answered with an eyeroll. “Had to do some big top secret mission or something, I dunno.” 

“I haven’t seen Janine in days,” Jody said before Simon could speak, visibly weirded out by the idea. They were used to being around each other constantly. But now they could actually go days without seeing one another. It really wasn’t an ideal state of being, not now, when they all needed one another more than anything else.

“Haven’t seen her around much either,” Sam said. He was peering over Five’s shoulder. “I saw Seven the other day. Well, talked to him. It’s close enough, right? He said she’s either been at the Major’s side or working with New Canton’s committees.” 

Simon groaned at the reminder of the numerous committees that peppered the city. No doubt Janine was having a time and a half with them. They let Abel residents keep to themselves for the most part, but even he had heard of the nightmare that Ed had gone through when he’d tried to find someone to watch over Molly for him. Apparently there was a waiting list and paperwork to be filled out. 

One good thing about the zombie apocalypse was a distinct lack of paperwork. The lack of actual paper being the principal cause.

“You think she’s okay?” Jody asked as she opened the door to a large grey building for them. They immediately hushed and scurried up the stairs to the next floor once they saw the rows of books.

“Okay, the first floor is a library. How are we going to mark stories on here?” Sam finally pulled the map out of Five’s hands, even as it earned him a glare. “And you know Janine. She’s not happy unless she’s covered in machine grease. Or oil. Is there a difference between the two?”

“Dunno. Are we sure that was a library? It’s awfully quiet up here.” Jody said.

They stopped and the first door they opened was dark, a projector whirring furiously. The room erupted into shouts to shut the door and they ran in, closing it behind them hurriedly. It took less than a second for Sam to make some kind of happy choked sound.

“They’re watching Lord of the Rings. I’m not leaving,” Sam announced in a thrilled whisper, even as it earned him a wave of shushes. 

“We found Sam’s kind,” Simon said, and even as he got three elbows to his side, he felt it was worth it.

~*~

“Found you!”

Janine glanced up to see Simon, still sweaty from probably a run, grinning with what she considered to be a maniacal smile. She wasn’t hiding but the storage facility was a bit far off from the housing grounds where most of the Abel residents kept to. He sat down by a stack of boxes and winced as he messed up the reports on the ground. She pulled away from the boxes of wires she was looking over and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Lauchlan?” 

“Sam found a movie club. Well, he found a gaming club that puts on movies but that’s for nerds like him. Lovable little thing, isn’t he? The main point is, they’ve got an entertainment building here, and it’s got a cinema club that shows movies for the rest of us average folk, and you’re going with me.” 

“I most certainly will not,” she said, turning back to the box. A good third of the extension cords they had found were too damaged to safely use. Someone who clearly had no idea of how electricity worked had thrown them in with the rest of the salvageable and usable cords; and she was not going to have runners ferry their supplies over just to realize most of it was effectively useless. “There is far too much for me to do to bother with such things. Abel is a disaster still and we’ve a shipment of goods to ferry over tomorrow, which ought to have been sorted out by now but apparently-” 

“Janine, you won’t do anyone good if you just work, work, work.”

Janine didn’t say anything. Simon had entirely good intentions. And she had no doubt that his attempts to cheer people up were welcomed. But she wasn’t in need of good company, she needed supplies, and most of all, she needed to be back at Abel. That’s when her nightmares would stop.

“Well, how about tomorrow then? Meet us up there tomorrow. Can’t keep working 24-7, you’ll go mad.” 

“Which room is it again?” Janine asked, still focused on the wires. 

“The projector room. It’s on Fourteenth Street and-”

“I’m quite familiar with that area, thank you, Mr Lauchlan. I hardly need you to act as my tour guide.” 

Simon waited for a beat. 

“So you’ll be there tomorrow?” 

“I’ll think about it,” she said. She ignored his smile, and she ignored the way he left, full of confidence at a job well done. Janine had work to do, after all.

That she and a few other runners were returning to Abel tomorrow was simply a plan that was set in stone. She couldn’t just change such things for a movie night. Runner Three would be able to understand such a thing, of course. She had matters far too serious to deal with for something as trivial as a night off.

It was good that the rest of the township's populace was recovering from the ordeal. They needed to find what joy they could for rebuilding would not be easy. Trying enough that they had to sacrifice what comforts they had enjoyed thanks to the apocalypse. To have all their hard work blown up was a cruel hand to be dealt. 

But Janine was not just an ordinary citizen. She had responsibilities. She had to protect Abel, and after that attack, it was only too clear that she’d failed in her task. And she wasn’t about to start protecting it from over in New Canton.

~*~

“Welcome back to Abel, Runner Three,” Janine said, perfectly business as she met him at the gates. The other runners dispersed, going to drop off the bags of supplies they had carried over. Simon didn’t join them just yet.

People were coming back to Abel slowly but surely. Simon had seen Jody off earlier in the week, and Sam had gone just before her. Janine had been in the very first group. Which he’d only found out about after.

“Good to be home,” he said, trying to match her frosty tone.

“You’re in Cabin Four A. Runners are on the short list for cots once we have the luxury of looking for some. Lunch is being served soon; I suggest you head for that first after dropping your bags off.” That was all she said before turning away. 

“Oi. That’s it? You just left me hanging back there and you’re not even going to say anything?” Simon said. He didn’t really do frosty. 

Janine blinked at him. “There’s nothing to say.” To her credit she sounded confused. 

“Janine, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re done with the whole monotone robot thing and you’re back to being human, but you were scaring us all, okay? This whole mess has been tough on us all, and we’ve just been trying to look out for one another. You can’t just leave without telling us. It’s not right.” 

“Abel needed me here-”

“God, you think-! What about us? We’re, you know, the people of Abel! The people part has to be more important, doesn’t it?” 

“There's no need to make a scene, Mr. Lauchlan,” Janine said, still perfectly composed. She looked up at the beginning construction of what was to be a defense tower. “Abel was my home long before it became Abel,” Janine said. “Obviously having one’s home attacked is not pleasant for anyone but surely you can understand it was particularly difficult for myself.” 

The words came out stilted, as if she had trouble saying them aloud. 

“Okay?”

“I, I do appreciate your attempts to engage with me. It wasn’t. Well. I wasn’t exactly good conversationalist then and-”

“You’re not good at this, are you?” Simon said, giving her an almost pitying look.

“It would help if you would not interrupt me, Mr. Lauchlan.” 

“Could you stop that? Just call me Simon already. Or god, even Runner Three sounds friendlier. Not like we’re enemies, right?” 

“Not at all enemies.” Janine closed her eyes as she spoke her next words. “I suppose the crux of what I’m trying to say is ‘thank you’.” 

“All that just to say thank you? You really suck at conversing with us lowly mortals, don’t you, Janine?” He held his hands up at her glare. “It’s a joke.”

She made to turn away when Simon spoke up to stop her.

“Hey, you know we’re all here for you, right Janine? You can depend on all of us next time. You don’t have to be all strong and steel.” 

“I suppose.” Janine looked as if she was considering that for the first time. “I hardly thought anyone would notice.” 

“Are you kidding? You’re our rock, Janine! And we take care of our own. Even when they’re too bloody stubborn to notice.” 

Janine actually laughed at that and Simon felt himself warmed by that, even if it was too quick of a chuckle. She stared at something in the wall, probably a crack or a fault that would need repairs.

“It’s good to have you back, Simon,” Janine said.

“Thanks,” he said. Abel was still a mess but it was home. He gestured to his pack. “I’d better drop this stuff off.” 

“Right, of course,” Janine said. And if she sounded reluctant that he had to go off elsewhere, that was all in his head.

~*~

“Good morning, Simon,” Janine said at breakfast the next day. She sat down beside him and pushed her bowl a bit away to wait till it had cooled down some. 

Simon grinned through his bowl of soup and saluted her with his spoon. 

“Sorry, Janine, but I’m heading out as soon as I’ve finished this up,” he said, gesturing to the already half gone soup. “Sam’s already called me in. He’s not much a morning person is he?” 

“As long as he does his job and doesn’t endanger anyone, it hardly matters. Though if he went to sleep at a reasonable hour I’m sure mornings would be more tolerable for him.” She offered him a handful of her dried apple pieces which Simon took with a hearty thanks. Her fingers brushed against him as she dropped the bits into his cupped hand.

Simon chuckled around the mouthful of fruit and drank down the rest of his broth. “Well, I’m off.” 

“Stay safe, Runner Three,” Janine said. 

“As Ms. De Luca commands,” Simon said with a flourish as he stood up to take his bowl back. She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes at him but it was with fondness. He hesitated as he stacked his dish with the others, seriously thinking about going to sit back down and have an actual conversation, when Sam’s voice came through. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on my way,” Simon muttered as he slung his headset onto his ears and made his way to the gates.

~*~

“This is the third electronics supply run you’ve done this week,” Jody said as she crammed batteries into her pack. Simon kept an eye on the door to the shop, his own bag filled with radios and spare parts, baseball bat at the ready. There was a pack of zombs hanging around and they had maybe ten minutes before they stumbled onto the street and made a beeline for them. 

“I need a break from the search missions,” he said, making a face. People were still missing. Between the comfort of knowing, the terror of discovering, the fear of never knowing, he couldn’t take it. There only so many he could do without it all going to his head. 

“It’s Tuesday, Simon.”

“And?”

“You never had a preference before and I heard you tell Sam to sign you up for any electronics missions.” 

“You definitely did,” Sam cut in, voice still far too low. Something in their headsets had gone wrong. They could hear him in the relative quiet of the shop but once they were out running, the wind in their ears drowned him out.

“Nobody asked you, Yao.” Simon glared even though he couldn’t see it. “And so?” Simon stared at Jody, face carefully blank. So he liked coming home with tools and electrical bits. It wasn’t like he would take them straight to Janine to see her face light up at the supplies. That was crazy talk. His look might have worked at dissuading Jody if the telltale groans hadn’t broken through. “Crap, we gotta go. Ready?” 

“Oh god, they sound close,” she whimpered as she zipped her bag up. “Sam? Which way do we go?” 

“Go through the back door. They’re on both ends of the street. And please tell me you picked something up for these headsets, you can’t go out with these ones again, if you can’t hear me what’s the point-” His voice all but vanished as they opened the back door and headed to Abel.

When they stopped to catch their breath and for the quiet so they could hear Sam again, Jody gave him a look. 

“So what’s up with all of the electronics runs?” 

Simon groaned and wondered if it was possible to find a new best friend who didn’t have the tenacity that rivaled zombies after a meal.

~*~

“See, like I told you, just a simple search mission. You didn’t have to be here. Runner Eighteen already searched the area but they missed a third of it because of a couple of fast zombs. We just sent Three out on a solo to make sure we haven’t missed anything. Being thorough, just like you always say.” 

Simon could almost imagine the pout on Sam’s face as he spoke. Luckily he was heading back now. Even nowadays, Sam and Janine would clash when directing runners, and while it didn’t usually end with injuries, it made for an uncomfortably tense run.

“As we well should be. We don’t want to miss out on any of our people just because we haven’t done our job properly.” 

“Are you implying something?”

“Just the opposite. You've been working rather hard, Mr. Yao. Runner Three is on his way home now. Why not end your shift early and enjoy your dinner?” 

“Are you serious? Three, are you listening to this? I’m not going insane with delirium, am I?”

“The lady sounds serious to me. I’d take her up on the offer. Sam, I’d take it and run and never look back. Dinner and an early bedtime sounds perfect right about now.” Simon waited for a minute. “Is he already gone?” 

“Gone,” Janine confirmed. He could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Excellent form, Simon. Keep it up.” 

“Thanks.” Simon frowned. That wasn’t something he usually heard from Janine. Compliments usually came after a tough mission or a particularly good headshot. “Wait what?”

“I’m expressing my admiration at your physical skills.” 

Except this was Janine. 

“Are you flirting with me?” 

“Either that or I am objectifying you sexually.” She spoke as if already bored of playing around. “Juvenile as the first term sounds it’s slightly more apt.”

“I’m not opposed to that second part,” Simon said before he could think about what he was saying. He was contemplating on how Janine was going to kill him on pure instinct before he heard her laugh and remembered that she had started this. 

“I didn’t think you would be.” There was a pause and with nothing more than that, she shifted, all business again. “There’s a group of zombies on your trail. I don’t believe they are sprinters but all the same, do pick up the pace.” 

“You just want to see me really run, don’t you?” 

“It’s a bonus.”

He stopped talking back once he heard the zombies, looking behind only to see for himself whether or not they were the fast moving ones. They were shamblers, but pretty intact ones, so they would be capable of following him all the way to Abel. 

There was only one sniper to provide covering fire, but it was better than nothing. He waved to whoever it was then went straight to the comms shack. Janine was at the open door, ready and waiting for him.

“Welcome back,” Janine said and once the door was safely closed behind them, she went right up to kiss him, sweat and all. Simon buried his hands in her hair and pulled her closer. He could still hear zombies after him and it was easy to cling too hard. Janine drank it up.

“Easy now, this shack can’t handle much,” he gasped, delighted as she pushed him against the wall. 

“Pity. We’ll have to save that for my bedroom then. Sturdier walls,” she said as she ran her hand down his back. Simon swallowed an absolutely ridiculous grin, luckily enough, because she broke away to give him a stern look. “You ought to check in first with Dr. Myers.” 

“She’s cute but not my type.” 

Janine pulled away, straightening out her shirt, and gave him a brief glare. He could almost hear the entire lecture just from that one look. Being bitten was dangerous, it put the whole township at risk, a person could go days without knowing if they’d been infected, runners were the highest source of outside contamination. To his surprise that didn’t happen.

“After you’ve checked in with the doctor, and finished dinner, I propose we move this to my home.” She said with a small smile. 

“For the sturdier walls, eh? Well then, excuse me, while I’m go to have the quickest check over and dinner in the world,” Simon said, stealing a brief kiss before running out the door to head for the hospital.

On a whim he glanced behind him. Janine was at the door still, watching him go, and he didn’t even bother to hide the grin on his face or deny the warm feeling in his chest.


End file.
